English is descended from what languages?

You left out Friesan, Danish and Norse from ancient sources, and the Keltic languages of the British Isles are in two groups, the Brythonic, which would have source language status, and Goidelic, which would provide loan words.

Additionally, English has borrowed heavily from Spanish, Classical Greek and Arabic. Imperialism hasn't brought that much to the language--most borrowings are conscientiously made, and very few picked up by simple exposure. Regionalism plays a large part, as well. In the southeastern US, a ravine is often called a gully--in the southwest, it is called an arroyo, from Spanish, in the northwest, a coulee, from French . . .

English is about the most complex linguistic critter ever known to have existed . . .

Brythonic as source language?
Umm, I'm not a linguist but a keen reader of dictionaries. Isn't it a bit strong to class Brythonic Celtic as source language for English? Even the number of loan words from Celtic languages into English is very low by comparison with the mainland Germanic and Norse influences you mention.
My view of English has always been that its source is primarily Anglo-Saxon with strong influences from French and Norse, loan words from Classical languages and that it pretty-well elbowed-out the Celts.

Sure, Boss, whatever floats your boat--i was simply making a distinction between the importance of Brythonic and Goidelic contributions--and you've ignored place names alltogether . . .

sb,

In large part English is derived from your shorter list. I think Setanta was going for something a bit more complete.

I would argue that there is quite a few Celtic word in English. ~It seems to have been played down for some reason. If one thinks think about it the majority of the population were kelts when the Anglo saxons came. To my knowledge at first the language was not forcibly opposed upon the population as the English later did in Ireland, and also the saxons came in succesive waves. It is unlikely that the Celts would have suddenly completely stopped speaking their language, or that it wouldn't have affected the Saxons either. Especially when inter tribal marriages occured.
I think its a bit rich to suggest that the majority population of a country (which the celts where) would not have affected the subsequent composite language. England has received waves of succesive conquerers. Each conquering peoples language is believed to have contributed to the English language, so why not the Celts ?
This website has some interesting points to make:

http://www.chebucto.ns.ca/~ag371/Gaelic/faclan.htm

Another essay on this:

Celtic Influence on the English Language

dramworld,

that essay mentioned by Walter Hinteler has a couple of key points:

"the Anglo-Saxons terrorised rather than integrated with the Celts"
"Celtic languages were viewed as inferior, and words that have survived are usually words with geographical significance, and place names"
"Celtic loanwords generally come from place names ... being adopted by each invading group as they arrive"
(They didn't even bother to learn the meaning of the pre-existing languages when picking up placenames, So we have such things as Knock Hill, meaning literally Hill Hill))

Hardly any of the words in the website you quoted could be considered in everyday use in English, and nearly all are still recognisably Irish or Scottish in tone and mainly used in those areas by people who learnt English much more recently than Anglo-Saxon times.

sb

I think what makes the question such a monster is both regional differences in the language, and it's universality. That may sound like a big 'duh', but perhaps pointing it out might help focus the discussion.

Dropping in to say welcome to SB. Wish I could contribute to the discussion, but I know very little about this subject. I've been reading and learning.

No one has mentioned the big part played by Jingoism, Jibber Jabber, Double Dutch & Mumbo Jumbo have played in the developmen of English. As one so called very knowledgable aquaintence of mine would sometimes say, "just baffle the client with science & send them away happy"

It's poetry in motion
She turned her tender eyes to me
As deep as any ocean
As sweet as any harmony
Mmm - but she blinded me with science
"She blinded me with science!"
And failed me in biology

When I'm dancing close to her
"Blinding me with science - science!"
I can smell the chemicals
"Blinding me with science - science!"
"Science!"
"Science!"

Gosh Set how you must of suffered. I trust your biology has taken a great leap forward

It should be noted that some Keltic words survive in names of flora and fauna--such as capercaille, a large grouse.

I think that both Cav and OAK have good points about both regional and "jargon" contributions to the language. For example, the word Boss, which i use way too often. In Dutch, Baas was a title of respect to a master craftsman, such as a carpenter, cooper, cobbler, etc. When Petr Alexeevitch (Peter the Great) was working on his frigate in the East Indian shipyards in Amsterdam, two English "tourists" asked the shipyard master if it were true that the Tsar was working there. The master looked over the yard, saw some men heaving a keelson into place, and called out: "Baas Pieter, go help your friends." The Tsar smiled--he always loved to be addressed in that manner, as a master shipwright--and went over to lend his considerable strength. At that same time, in New York, until recently New Amsterdam, the old "Patroons" of the Hudson valley now rented out their property to tennant farmers. Among those largely English-speaking tennants, Baas was "corrupted" into Boss, and used as the appropriate title of respect when addressing the landlord's reeve. During the Jack the Ripper scare in London nearly two centuries later, the use of the word "Boss" in the letters sent to the press, and allegedly penned by the Ripper was taken as evidence that the author, and therefore the murderer, was an American. When i'm in Canadia, i'm usually taken for a local, until i address someone as Boss--then they know i'm an evil 'Merican.

As for jargon, expressions such as "lock, stock and barrel" and "til the cows come home" derive from the specialized use or knowledge of a group: the former from soldiers and gunsmiths, the latter from Farmers. For our urban friends who might not know, "til the cows come home" means never--the cows won't come home, you have to go get them. Unless, of course, you're an Irish farmer, in case you can't be arsed, and you just leave them out in the fields overnight.

That's a quote of Thomas Dolby, Boss--biology has always confused and dismayed me. However, it does seem that the ladies are always willing to help out in this arcane branch of knowledge.

Setanta ------------ we must be thankful for the ladies helping hand(s) and their understanding ways

Yes, indeed, i could not agree more. The salutary reason for maintaining the "she who must be obeyed" myth . . .

(Sure as hell hope Lovey ain't readin' this thread . . . )

you mean you could be getting your ears boxed and banished to the stables ???? Still they do a good nosebag over there surely.